Scorpion Scout (Ship)
Description The first Scorpionships began in the sweeping badlands of some forgotten world where colossal scorpions dwelled. The orcs discovered that the iron-hard exoskeletons of these scorpions could be fitted with decking, and used the husks to build their distinctive spelljammers. As the orcs refined their shipbuilding craft, they learned to build new Scorpionships without need of a dead scorpion's husk, although the vast majority were built from these exoskeletons. A Scorpionship is built from a hull of iron-sheen chitin husk or a frame of thick wood. Decks of duskwood, ironwood, or oak divide the top, main, and cargo decks. The workmanship is frequently shoddy and the ship is often in ill repair; orcs care little for the condition of their ship. Many patches identify a veteran ship. Rust, rot, and shoddy repairs plague many ships; more than one Scorpionship collapsed unexpectedly. The ram-claws of a Scorpionship are each operated by a single orc. Each claw can make 2 attack rolls with a THAC0 of 15 against a target within grappling range. If only one attack hits, then a glancing blow is struck. Roll 1d4, with results of 1 or 2 causing 1 or 2 hull points of damage respectively, while a result of 3 causes 2 HP plus a Ship Shaken critical hit, and a roll of 4 causes 2 HP plus a Hull Holed critical hit. If both attacks hit, then the claw has grabbed the enemy ship. A grab causes 3 HP of damage, a Hull Holed critical hit, and allows the ships to be grappled until the controlling orc releases the ship. A determined orc crew can dismantle an enemy ship piece by piece using the ram-claws, however it is more common for a Scorpionship to simply attack until it successfully grabs the ship, at which point marines will board. Most spacefarers speak only of Scorpionships, and, with the exception of the goblinkin themselves and the elves who hunted them, are unaware that there were actually three distinct varieties of the vessel. The reason for this is that the scorpions who provided the frames for these vessels went through several distinct growth spurts in their lives. This resulted in the gargantuan scorpions shedding old exoskeletons to make way for new exoskeletons that had yet to fully harden, and could therefore withstand the creature's sudden growth. Old exoskeletons that the scorpions had grown out of littered the badlands of this world, and a great number of these were used to construct scorpionships (although a shed exoskeletonwas typically split into 2 or more pieces, rejoining these into one vessel was a relatively easy process). The smallest of these exoskeletons averaged 75' in length (not including the claws), and 20' in width (not including the claws or legs). These exoskeletons were used to create a ship known as the Scorpion Scout. This was a 10 ton ship, which was typically used on scouting missions, and as a light support craft for larger scorpionships. The Scorpion Scout was armed with 1 light ballista, 1 light catapult, and 2 ram-claws. Scorpion Scouts were the easiest of the Scorpionships to build, since more small exoskeletons were available, and since the small size required fewer workers to complete the craft. Despite this, the Scorpion Scout was not the most common Scorpionship. This is because the cost of a helm outweighs the cost of the ship so greatly that most orcs preferred to go to the extra effort to get a larger exoskeleton to work from. Despite this, the Scorpion Scout was not uncommon, and it has the dubious distinction of being the orc craft which was most likely to be destroyed or captured during the First Unhuman War and the Great Hunt that followed. As a result, the Scorpion Scout is the Scorpionship which most spacefarers are familiar with. It should be noted that even a spacefarer who is familiar with the different varieties of Scorpionships will generally have trouble telling them apart at a distance. This is because the ships all look virtually identical except for size, and it is often very difficult to judge scale in space. In fact, Scorpionships of all three varieties tended to use the same layout for the internal decks as well. This was primarily due to the simplicity of the structure, and the ease with which the orc workers could build the decks. As a result, the same deckplans can be used for the Scorpion Scout, the Scorpion, and the King Scorpion. The Scout uses a 5'x5' scale, the Scorpion uses a 10'x10' scale, and the King Scorpion uses a 15'x15' scale. Below the top decks is the main deck, with a small bridge, the controls for the claw rams, and quarters for the crew. The eyes are made of crude, opaque glass and are often tinted red. Small incense burners hang from the ceiling, filling the bridge with arcane smoke. Star charts hang from the wall, usually on animal skins. The shaman or witch doctor watches over the lifejammer, constantly chanting to make the magic work. Behind him, a pair of burly orcs operates a series of levers and turnstiles that make the ram claws move (note that only one orc is required to work each ram claw regardless of the size of the scorpionship). The orcs practice operating the weapons, and are quite good at it. The room doubles as a galley, with a cauldron in the center of the room where orcs prepare their meals. The orc kitchen is quite crude, with only the bare necessities. Meals consist of a watery stew, jerky, and an orc deviation of hardtack. Heading aft from the galley/claw control room is the crew quarters. Dozens of bunks are built into walls, stacked four high. Bunks are a right of the strongest warriors; an orc must earn his bunk through combat. Those orcs without a bunk sleep on the deck or the cargo hold. The captain's quarters are located at the base of the tail, the only private quarters aboard the ship. The best trophies will be located in his room. Below the main deck and opposite of the gravity plane is the cargo deck. This area is roughly oval shaped. Sometimes this space is subdivided into other rooms, such as an armory and brig for prisoners. The hold is filled with all manner of wares that the orcs might need or otherwise find interesting. A hatch offers access to the cargo deck. Crew A Scorpionship of any variety requires only a small crew. Triangular sails are strung between the tail and the legs. For the King Scorpion four orcs are needed to man the sails, while the captain shouts orders to coordinate their efforts. A sixth orc, a shaman or witch doctor, is needed to operate the helm. Scorpions reduce this to a helmsman, a captain, and two sailors, while a Scout uses a helmsman, a captain, and a single sailor. In addition to providing maneuverability, the sails serve a double purpose in blocking out hateful sunlight. The orcs keep the sails situated to block as much sunlight as possible. The remainder of the crew, usually about fifty orcs for a King Scorpion, thirty for a Scorpion, and ten for a Scorpion Scout, mans the ship weapons or waits for an attempt to board other ships. Larger than standard crews are not uncommon for ships on a raid, but conditions are abhorrent. Ship Uses Military Scout: The intended purpose of a Scorpion Scout is to search for targets for larger orc ships, as well as to operate in situations that require the orc version of subtlety. When used in this capacity, a minor helm powered by a shaman is greatly preferred to a lifejammer, since the small Scout cannot carry enough victims to give the ship much range. Military scout vessels are expected by the orcs to be able to destroy any opposing scout vessels (defined as any ship of roughly the same size as the Scorpion Scout, or smaller), and to attempt to escape detection by any larger vessels. Being assigned to command a Scorpion Scout in this capacity is seen as a quick way to promotion for an orc lieutenant, but it is also a dangerous duty, since such a ship is more likely to encounter enemies than any other Scorpionship, and is the least likely of any Scorpionship to be able to successfully fight off an enemy ship. Close Support: Many Scorpion Scouts are used to support their larger cousins in fleet actions. These ships are more likely to use lifejammers than minor helms, since victims can easily be transferred from larger ships if the Scout runs out. The crew of a close support Scorpion Scout is usually made up of the dregs of the orc wolfpack, since the greater glory in battle will usually go to the orcs aboard the larger ships that do most of the decisive fighting. Despite this, in the right situations a close support Scout can mean the difference between victory and defeat for the wolfpack, and when the crew of one of these ships performs well in such a situation they will generally gain much standing within the wolfpack, and will usually be placed on a more prestigious vessel. Other Configurations Smuggler: Some humans who have taken possesion of derelict Scorpion Scouts have converted them for use as fast traders and smuggling ships. The ram-claws will typically be removed, and the ship will be topped-out. This increases the crew requirement to 5, maneuverability to A, and cargo space increases to 5 tons. The resulting ship is light and maneuverable, but still well-protected for a ship its size. The primary drawback to such a ship is that it does tend to attract attention if spotted.